Tobacco, alcohol and drug use among students in Athlone Institute of Technology.
Abstract
Little is known of the impact of tobacco, alcohol and drug use amongst third level students due to limited research of the population. The 18-24 year old age category has been highlighted by researchers as an at-risk group for binge drinking and drug use yet they are largely ignored by academic studies. The objective of this study was to identify how tobacco, alcohol and drugs are used by students in AIT. The findings from the current research provide useful information about their use of these substances, plus the harm this causes and the harm reduction measures they use. It is hoped that the findings of the study will help shape the interventions and campaigns offered to students. The sample was current AIT students. Questionnaires were used in class to collect the data from 192 participants. The anonymous questionnaire was divided into four sections and had thirty questions relating to tobacco, alcohol and drug use. Due to time limitations the sample is not a representative one of the wider AIT student population. The majority of respondents were female, first year students, aged 18-21 years. In this study, over 40% of respondents reported they were current smokers, many of these only smokes when they drink alcohol. A large majority of smokers admitted they either want to stop smoking or are unsure about continuing to smoke. The vast majority of the sample drink alcohol and have been drunk at some stage. In relation to binge drinking (six or more drinks) in the last four weeks, over a quarter of respondents said they do it more than once a week. Although one quarter of the sample reported they drink for enjoyment and to be sociable, another quarter do so for emotional or psychological reasons e.g. to forget worries or anxiety.In relation to alcohol related harm, over half of the respondents reported having felt the effects of alcohol in class, having missed class in the last year and one third believe their alcohol use harmed their studies in the same time frame. Half of the students admitted having blackouts in the last year and 42% had an accident/injury due to alcohol in the last year. Drug use was reported less than anticipated, maybe due to the small sample size. Despite the low numbers, twelve respondents reported drug use affected their
2 studies in the last year and fifteen respondents noted they were worried about their drug use. Regarding harm reduction when using drugs, the study revealed that most people will ask a friend for advice before using a drug, would ask a friend to look out for them or research online. None of these methods are very reliable and put a lot of responsibility on peers. This discovery suggests that students may need reliable sources of information and support about drugs. Ultimately this dissertation concludes that a harm reduction model would be beneficial to educate students on harm reducing techniques and refusal skills. This model acknowledges their life stage, and the role of social environments, and is non-judgemental and realistic.
Collections
- Taught Masters Theses [49]
- Theses - Social Science [43]
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